Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Generally speaking, the greater one's detection range, the stronger their command of transcendent power.

"Orion truly is worthy of being my Master's friend. He's clearly no ordinary figure."

"Still, we'll have to see how his actual combat skills measure up in this fight."

Orion had guessed right: Rumbold, as Arthas's capable subordinate, was sent not only to help but also to keep tabs on Orion.

This wasn't his first time doing something like that; during the Kraken incident, Rumbold had also been dispatched to "assist." He was well-versed in gauging a person's potential.

Rumbold's specialty lay in treading the line between being downright irritating and offering just enough genuine help to evaluate the target's temperament and resolve.

Half a day later, an inky black beam shot over from the southeast.

"He's here!"

Rumbold looked skyward, his expression grim. Though he disdained Goblins, he'd never underestimate any Goblin who'd reached Legendary level. Yet just as he was about to warn Orion, Orion had already transformed into a streak of lightning, launching himself straight at that black beam.

Boom!

High above, Giant King Orion and Goblin King Murktooth clashed once, neither side going all out, and no clear victor emerged.

"Sir, who are you, and why are you invading my territory?"

Deep down, Murktooth was both shocked and frightened. Apart from Orion, he sensed another Legendary-level being as well.

"Beat me, and I'll tell you."

Gripping his trident, Orion was fired up at the chance to battle a Legendary-level foe from another realm. He could sense that the Goblin King wielding two bronze hammers was, like him, only at the lower tier of Legendary level.

Murktooth tried to speak again, but Orion cut him off in a flash.

"Take this seriously!"

Transcendent power surged within Orion. As he raised his trident, he simultaneously set up an Eightfold Spear Barrage around Murktooth. Only now, the Spear Barrage looked very different from before.

Its spider spears glowed blood-red, formed by Orion's blood-based transcendent power. Sparks of lightning arced along their length as well, courtesy of Orion's lightning abilities.

The appearance of these two types of transcendent power clearly showed Orion's distinct strength.

Under normal circumstances, even most Legendary-level powerhouses can control only a single transcendent power. Unless it's a lord who can construct an entire territory, it's rare for anyone to wield two.

On the ground, Skeleton General Rumbold watched, finally understanding why his Master would send him to evaluate Orion.

"No wonder he's a friend of my Master. Orion can handle two different supernatural powers at once—he can probably fight opponents two small tiers above his own!"

"Guess that means this clean-up mission will be a lot smoother."

From that display alone, Rumbold's appraisal of Orion was quietly shifting. Reality is what it is—if you want to garner respect, you'd better show you can pack a punch.

High above, Murktooth trembled at the sight of Orion's ability. Knowing the Eightfold Spear Barrage was infused with two layers of transcendent power, the Goblin King was certain he couldn't match Orion. And with another Legendary presence waiting below, Murktooth's heart pounded even harder.

"WAAAGH!"

Before Murktooth could stew in his panic any longer, Orion took control of the Eightfold Spear Barrage, attempting to rip him to pieces.

"Black Sun Radiance!"

Boom!

Within the Eightfold Spear Barrage, a black dot about the size of a ping-pong ball formed abruptly, unleashing a blinding light that tore right through Orion's spear formation.

The collision of transcendent powers raged on for three whole minutes.

Once everything calmed, Murktooth was nowhere to be seen in the sky.

Raising an eyebrow, Orion reached out with his senses; he discovered that Murktooth had already fled, far beyond his immediate perception.

Orion was hesitating whether or not to chase when Rumbold called out from below, stopping him.

"Lord Orion, let him go. The Lord's Stone may be valuable, but our mission comes first."
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Descending to the ground, Orion fixed Rumbold with a stare. Facing Orion's gaze, Rumbold shrugged and gave a wry smile, dropping his aloof demeanor for the first time.

"Lord Orion, to fully unleash the magic formation we're assembling in the central region, we have to purge every living thing from this godforsaken land.

Living creatures, lingering resentment, sentience, mental energy…even souls—any or all of these could stand in our way."

Rumbold's words were cryptic; Orion struggled to grasp them since he had no clue how the Source Siphon Array worked.

Seeing Orion frown, Rumbold knew the questions in his mind weren't answered yet, so he continued:

"Lord Orion, he can't actually get away. Think about it: which part of this godforsaken land could possibly still be intact at this point?"

Without waiting for Orion to reply, Rumbold tapped the ground with his weapon and spoke flatly:

"Obviously, right here where we are."

At that, Orion understood: the central, southern, and western regions were all being invaded by Arch Lords Arthas and Leonidas. So, relatively speaking, the east was the safest. Once Murktooth realized how dire things had gotten, he'd know there was no point running anywhere else.

"Let's press on."

Orion lowered his trident, his power settling back to normal. He seemed unmoved by the cheers from his people behind him.

"Lord Orion, I've rarely met a Legendary-level fighter with as much potential as you."

Rumbold's flattery and sweet talk drew little more than a slight smile from Orion. Deep inside, Orion had doubts. He couldn't identify exactly which element of transcendent power Murktooth had been using.

Pondering that for a moment and coming up empty, Orion turned and asked Rumbold, who trailed behind him:

"General Rumbold, do you know what category that Goblin King's transcendent power falls under?"

"It's Black Sun. Not light-based, not demonic—just your run-of-the-mill evil power."

Orion said nothing, merely continued to watch Rumbold.

"Lord Orion, truth is, I don't know all that much.

But I've followed my Master through plenty of godforsaken lands, seeing all sorts of strange evil powers. I can tell them apart, at least somewhat.

"No matter which brand of evil power it might be, the gods look upon it with disgust. They won't tolerate it.

"Of course, to my knowledge, there are those who've mastered such wicked forces and can stand on equal footing with the gods themselves!"

"…"